Columbia city manager candidates met with public

The city of Columbia hosted a public reception to meet the two finalists for the open city manager position.

The public reception was held at City Hall at 6 p.m. in the Council Chambers.

The two finalists are current interim city manager John Glascock and city administrator of Racine, Wisconsin, James Palenick.

According to a press release from the city, the candidates were scheduled to have individual interviews with each Council Member and the Mayor, a community tour and sessions with senior staff on Wednesday.

The city has been searching for a city manager to take over after former City Manager Mike Matthes resigned from his position on Nov. 20, 2018. Matthes resigned by sending a one-line email to the city council.

In February, the city brought in consultants to assist in the search to fill the position. At that time, consultants were looking to make an offer to a candidate by mid-May and have that person start the job on July 1. However, the new timeline for the position has not yet been determined.

The two candidates are scheduled to have closed interviews with the entire city council Thursday.